Briefs

May 02, 2006

COLLEGE FOOTBALLLuncheon pushed back Because of pending knee surgery, Texas head coach Mack Brown has rescheduled his KeyBank Gridiron Legends Luncheon Series appearance to Monday, July 24. Tickets purchased for the regularly scheduled May 16 luncheon are valid for the July 24 event. The next scheduled KeyBank Gridiron Legends Luncheon is with Hall of Fame tight end Kellen Winslow on June 6. All luncheons take place from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Hall of Fame, unless stated otherwise. For more information, and to purchase tickets for the 2006 KeyBank Gridiron Legends Luncheon Series, contact the Hall of Fame at 574-235-9999 or visit http://www.collegefootball.org. COLLEGE SIGNINGSThree from Clay sign Three three-year starters for Clay head football coach Mike Kuntz will continue their careers at the college level. Ramond Jacobs, the 5-11, 185-pound all-time leading rusher in Clay history with 3,600 yards is headed to Harper Junior College in Palatine, Ill. He will be joined by teammate Alex Delonis, a 5-9, 275-pound defensive tackle. Delonis, one of the state's top heavyweights, also will wrestle at Harper. Mike DePoy, a 6-0, 215-pound linebacker and Clay's leading tackler the past two years (62 solos in 2005), is headed to Manchester College. Gray picks Bethel Kassandra Gray signed with Bethel College to continue her basketball and academic career. The 5-6 point guard from LaPorte High School averaged 4.6 points per game, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists during her senior year. "Kassandra is a great addition to the women's basketball program." said head coach Jody Martinez. "She displays a good intensity of the game and has an eagerness to get better at the next level." HS BASKETBALLMinutemen name Meyer Dan Meyer has been selected to become the next girls basketball coach for Concord High School. Meyer replaces Lyle Gaff, who guided the team for the last nine seasons. Meyer has coached basketball for 13 years. He has been the Concord Junior Varsity boys coach for the past six years with an 83-37 record. He has also been the head coach of the girls track team since 1999. COLLEGE BASKETBALLIU's Dinc to enter draft Forward Cem Dinc, who played in only three games last year at Indiana, might forgo his final three seasons of eligibility and enter the NBA draft. Dinc, who lives in Germany, revealed his intentions through an e-mailed letter to The Indianapolis Star on Sunday. Dinc also said he would not hire an agent, meaning he has until June 18, 10 days before the draft, to withdraw. If he pulls out, Dinc could return to Indiana. Team spokesman Aaron Jordan said he could not confirm Dinc's intentions, and Dinc has spent the past month doing his class work online from Germany. He has not participated in the Hoosiers offseason workouts. The 6-foot-10, 240-pound freshman scored three points in 12 minutes last season after playing for the Turkish national team last summer. Dinc said he also intends to play with the Turkish team again this summer. PRO BASKETBALLCup-tosser sentenced The man accused of throwing the cup that sparked a 2004 brawl between Indiana Pacers players and Detroit Pistons fans at The Palace of Auburn Hills was sentenced Monday to 30 days in jail on an assault and battery charge. John Green also was sentenced to two years of probation. The 41-year-old Green was convicted in March of one count of assault and battery for punching former Pacers player Ron Artest during the brawl. Green was found not guilty of a second count that accused him of throwing the cup before Artest charged into the stands. Judge Lisa Asadoorian also ordered Green to attend anger management classes and Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and stay away from the Palace while he is on probation. Green's attorney, Shawn P. Smith, said he would seek a stay of the sentence while he appeals it. "In light of everything else, everything everyone else got, it was not fair," Smith told the Detroit Free Press. All the others charged with assault and battery in the same brawl, including Artest, were sentenced to probation and fined but received no jail time. Green, however, was the only one to take his case to trial. Green, whose image was caught on video during the melee, said he was innocent because he hit Artest in defense of himself and his fellow fans. He also argued that he merely lobbed the cup into the air and never meant to hit anyone with it. Express needs a mascot The Elkhart Express, an International Basketball League team, is looking for someone to be Ernie Express, the team's mascot, at the remaining home games this season. Anyone interested in trying out for the position should contact the Express at (574) 522-9911. CANOE/KAYAKSmoke captures first Buchanan's Jeff Smoke paddled his way to a repeat victory in the K-1 1000 meters at the USA Canoe/Kayak Sprint U.S. Team Trials in Chula Vista, California. Smoke was the class of the field on Saturday, winning in a blistering time of just over 3:34. "It felt good," said Smoke. "We had good conditions and the times were fast. I'm looking forward to racing in Europe in two weeks." COLLEGE SOFTBALLBethel in tournament The Bethel College softball team will play in the Mid-Central Conference Tournament starting Wednesday. The Pilots take a 32-18 mark into a 10 a.m. first-round game versus Huntington (11-28) at Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion. Bethel defeated Huntington 2-1 and 12-0 on April 6. Other first-round games have IWU vs. Goshen, St. Francis vs. Spring Arbor and Marian vs. Taylor. Bethel is the No. 2 seed for the eight-team, double-elimination tournament which runs Wednesday and Thursday. The Pilots finished 14-2 in MCC regular-season play, finishing as co-champs with IWU. Coach Anna Welsh's team includes former area standouts Britny Beneker (Penn), Christy Nagy (Concord) and Amy Bolakowski (South Central). Smid earns league award Martha Smid was announced as the MIAA Player of the Week after helping Saint Mary's to a 4-0 record the final week of the regular season. Smid went 10-for-15 last week as the Belles swept doubleheaders from Goshen and Kalamazoo. COLLEGE GOLFIrish team of the week Fresh off a third consecutive Big East Conference title that included one of the most remarkable comebacks in the 77-year history of the program, the Notre Dame men's golf team added another feather in its collective cap on Monday when it was chosen as the Golfweek National Team of the Week. It's the first time the Irish have ever been selected for the honor, which is voted upon each week during the season by the writers and editors at Golfweek magazine (and its web site, www.golfweek.com) who cover collegiate golf on a regular basis. COLLEGE TENNISPalombo honored Kristen Palombo was named to the MIAA second-team all-conference squad Saturday afternoon at the conclusion of the conference's season ending tournament. Palombo will graduate as one of only three Saint Mary's athletes to be named to the MIAA first or second teams all-conference squad in each of her four years. Palombo played No. 1 this season and will graduate with 54 career singles wins. She was a member of two MIAA tournament championships teams (2003, 2004). Pilots win by one The Bethel men's tennis team had to win all three of the double matches in downing Spring Arbor, 5-4. The Pilots (11-5) were down 4-2 heading into the doubles. Joel Dendiu who won the No. 2 singles joined with Kiko Cortes in the No. 1 doubles to start the comeback with an 8-5 win. The next Pilot action will be in the National NCCAA tourney in Greer, S.C., May 7-11.